A BUNGLING thief who went on a ‘Mission Impossible’ when caught stealing from his bosses ended up plunging through the ceiling after trying to escape through a suspended roof space.

Drew Michael Wintle panicked when he was caught red-handed pinching a laptop and games consoles from an Argos distribution centre in Bridgwater.

In a bid for freedom he climbed onto a desk and into the suspended ceiling space before losing his footing and falling through the ceiling tiles into the room below.

He was detained and arrested and appeared before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil where he was given a suspended prison sentence.

Wintle, 49, of Wyndham View, Yeovil, pleaded guilty to the theft of items belonging to Argos at Bridgwater.

Prosecutor Emma Lenanton said the defendant was working at the Argos Distribution Centre in Bridgwater when he entered the staff locker room with a black bin liner containing some boxes from the warehouse.

“He went to the other side of the building and disposed of the bag, and when his shift ended he went to get his belongings and was challenged by security staff,” she said.

“Wintle was searched and in his rucksack were an Acer laptop and two Nintendo games consoles worth £950 which had been taken from Argos.

“He tried to run away and climbed onto a desk and entered the suspended ceiling space.

“He forced his way through the tiles and was scrambling around there for a short time before falling through the ceiling damaging the ceiling grid and tiles at a cost of £936.25.”

A statement produced by Argos said that the company was now out of pocket thanks to Wintle’s actions and they were disappointed that an employee had breached their trust.

Defending solicitor Nicky Shaw said that the defendant was employed by Argos and the offence was very unsophisticated.

She said: “The whole area is covered by CCTV and he was seen putting the stolen items into his backpack.

“He became worried and there was quite a lot of force used to detain him and the roof then collapsed.

“He admits he made a very stupid decision in trying to take the items in the first place.”

The court was told that Wintle had since suffered a second bit of bad luck after falling from the second floor of his accommodation and suffering a spinal fracture.

Miss Shaw said: “He was told he would be paralysed as a result and would never walk again.

“However he is very lucky that he has started to walk and is now getting feelings back again.”

The magistrates imposed a six week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months saying that the offence was so serious that custody was the only option. Costs of £85 and a £115 victim surcharge were also imposed.